Manufacture of glass sheets



2`Sheets-Slheet l i. E r

I March 1l, 1930. L. BoUDlN MANUFACTURE .oF GLASS SHEETS Filed April 8, 1927- March l1, 1930. l. BOUDIN MANUFACTURE pF GLASS SHEETS Filed April 8, 192'? 2 sheets-sheet 2 xml A TTORNEYJ Patented Mai. 11, 193e UNITED STATES PATENT -'o1-FICE 'LOUIS IBOUDIN, OF S12-GOBAIN, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO SOCIETE ANONYME DES MANU- FAC'IURES DES GLACES t PRODUITS CHIMIQUES DE SAINT-GOBAIN, CHAUNY &

CIREY, OF PARIS, FRANCE MANUFACTURE OF GLASS SHEETS v Application filed April 8, 1927, Serial No. 182,111, and -in France April 15, 1926.

The intermittent manufacture of glass sheets and plates (hereinafter collectively termed sheets) differs from the continuous process in'that much higher speeds of formation are employed during" the actual period of sheet formation, with pauses between the formation of successive sheets. This high speed of sheet formation is of an advantage in improving the quality of the product.

While in the manufacture of the continuous sheets it has been the general Apractice to machines, would pass them through a con-l siderable distance during the time required for annealing and hence excessively long lehrs must vbe used. For this reason the intermittent machines generally feed, not directly to the lehrs, but to a table from which the sheets, after being completely formed are moved into the lehr, through which they are passed by shoving them on the tile bottoms of the-lehrs, or through which they are carried by some form of conveyor, or both combined. It is the purpose of the present invention to provide a method comprising the reception by a lehr conveyer of sheets directly 'from' an intermittent forming machine and transporting the same through the lehr, the

' speed at which the sheets or plates are received being the same as the speed of sheet format-lon and the speed at which they are subsequently carried through the lehr being that suitable for proper annealing. To this end this invention comprises a method of receiving and feeding glass sheets from an .intermittent forming machine and of passing v the same through the lehr and of mechanism adapted to carry out the said process, as will hereinafter be more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings in which corresponding parts are designated by correspending marks of refe-rence,- L

Figures l and 2 are -diagrammatic longitudinal horizontal sections of a mechanism a forming pass between them. A is a pot or ladle adapted to deliver forming pass.

As represented this machine is immediately opposite the entrance end of the lehr E, which may be heated to a regulated temperature in any desired manner.

The forming machine delivers sheet glass to a bed comprising a series of rollers R', R2, R3, etc., one or more of which may be between the forming machine and theV entrance end glass .adjacent to the .of the lehr, but the majorityof which are Within the lehr. Certain of these rollers R', located at' theentrance end of the lehr are driven at different times at different speeds. Other rollers, R2, adjacent thereto and following them in the bed may be idlers, while the remaining rolls, R3, are driven at a constant speed equal to the lower speed at which the rollers R are driven.

With suclran arrangement of rollers, during the time which a sheet is being delivered to the bed and while it is being formed, the rollers R are driven at the same peripheral speed as are the` forming rolls which is the linear speed of sheet formation), so that the sheet is received bythe roller bed from the forming pass as it is formed Without buckling, this speed being as stated relatively high. After the tail of the sheet has left the forming pass (see Fig. 2), the speed of the rollers R is reduced. The sheet F is fed by the rollers R onto the idler rollers RZ and onto the first of the rollers R3 of the second series of driven rolls, by which its travel is continued at the reduced speed. The sheet (see F in Figure 1) being clear of the rollers R the latter may be speeded up to the speed of sheet formation ,and a new sheet F fed A space between their adjacent ends is occupied the rollers R2 while the preceding sheet F continues to travel und-er the influence ofthe rollers R3, and' afterK the new sheet F clears -rst (R) andlast- (R3) `series of rollers are Vthe forming pass the speed'of the rollers R may again be reduced,"after which .time the sheet F will follow at a fixed distance behind the sheet F and at' a speed uniform the e# with, it being in its continued movement engaged by the first of the rollers R8,as above y described for the sheet F.

covered by the rollers R and R2 will vary with the length of sheet to be formed in the forming machine, that the, desired space covered by the driving rolls R will also vary with this length7 and that the spacing between the rear and frontwends of successive plates will vary with thefdistance covered by the rollers R2, with the relation existing between the two speeds of the rollersR Aand Awith the time interval between the `delivery of successive sheets to the roller bed. For these reasons it is desirable to provide means by which certain rollers intermediate of the ends of the bed may be changed from idlcrs to drivers or vice versa, and to` accomplish this different mechanisms may be employed. As shown in Figure 3 two main drives are shown, one, B, being a variablespeed motor, and the other, B', a fixed speed motor. The motor B drives the shaft H having fast thereon a number of beveled gears M meshing with corresponding gears N on the first group of driven rollersbtR). The motor B drives a shaft L having alsofast thereon beveled gears M driving through corresponding gears N a` second group of driven -rollers R3. The two shafts H and L are in alignment andthe by a series of intermediate shafts I, J and-K, each having a beveled gear M thereon, meshing with beveled gears N on the rollers intei mediate of the two driven sets. The end Ishafts I and K are adapted to be connected Awith the shafts H and L respectively, by

means of clutches D, while'the shafts J can be connected to I and IQ'if adjacent thereto, or to the adjacent shafts J, also by clutches D. i' :By-this construction it will be seen that -the rollers geared to the shaft H are driven by the variable speed motor B and the rollers geared to the shaft L are correspond' varied to suit the problems of manufacture In Figure 4 a somewhatldiiferent mechanism is represented. In this the shafts H and L are located on opposite sides of the lehr, the one- 'shaftv overlaps the other. The

driven from the shafts H or L respectively, through beveled'gears M fast on such shafts and meshing with beveled gears N on the properends of the rollers; T he intermediate rollers have beveled gears N on opposite ends meshing with g'ears M2 ,loose onthe shaftsH and L, each gear M2 being capable of being .locked to its shaft by a clutch G. It will be thus seen that by disengaging or engaging the clutches G, the rollers of the intermediate seriesrmvay be engaged with the shaft H or L driving the adjacent series of driven rollers, while if the clutches G on both sides of the lehr are opened such rollers will become idlers.

In Figure 5, a' ,construction is shown in which the shafts H and L are, as in Figure 3, in line, the shafts H and L driving the driven rollers (Rb and R3) of the first and last series,respectively, through the beveled gears P and Q. The shaft'I-I also drives through the gears S and T the upper supplemental shaft H, while the shaft L similarly drives through the gears S2 and T2, the lower supplemental sli-aft L, these two overlapping; T he rollers covered by the overlap' of these shafts have beveled gears Y upon their ends .I

meshing with bevel gears X fast to spur gears V loose on a shaft IV. Each of these spur gears V meshes witha corresponding spur gear U, on the shaft H and with a spur gear U2 on the shaft L. -The spur gears U and U2 are adapted to be locked to their respective shafts by means of clutches O and -O2, respectively, so that in this case also the intermediate rollers may be rendered either idlers or drivers.

Itis obvious that the character of gearing bet-wen the-shafts H and L on the one hand and the several 'rolls on the other may be varied to meet requirements, as the specific l,character of such sphered) is not the essencevof this invention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is 1. The combination with an intermittent sheet glass forming machine, of a lehr receiving glass from the forming machine as formed, rollers within the lehr to receive the sheet from the forming machine, rollers gearing (beveled or within the lehr having aksubstantially constant speed which is iess than that of the sheet formation, and means wherebyv thespeed of the first series of rollerspinaybe Y varied frnn a speed equalto that ofsheet formation to the speed of the .second series of rollers, and 'idler rollers in the lehr intermediate of said sets of rollers.

2. The combination with an intermittent i3 sheet glass forming machine, of a lehr receiving glass from the forming machine as formed, rollers Within the'lehr to receive the sheet from the forming machine, rollers Within the lehr having a substantially constant speed which is less than that of the sheet formation. and meanswhereby the speed ot the first series ot rollers may be varied from a speed equal to that of sheet formation to the speed to the second series o'f rollers, rollers in the lehr intermediate' of the said two sets of rollers and means for connecting one or more of the said lastnamed rollers with vthe drive for one of the other sets ot' rollers.

3. The combination With an intermittent sheet glass 'toi-ming niachine, of a lehr 1eceiving' glass from the forming machine as formed. rollers Within the -lehr to receive the sheet as Jformed and to transport the same, a. variable speed drive for certain of the rollers near the entrance end of the lehr, a. substantially constant speed drive for certain ot' the rollers near the exit end of the lehr, and connection by which certain of the rollers intermediate of the lehr and adjacent to the end series of rolls may be connected with the drive for the rolls adjacent thereto.

4. The combination with an intermittent glass-forming machine, of a lehr receiving glass from the forming machine as formed,

rollers Within the lehr to transport the sheets,

tivo drive shafts exterior of the lehr, gearing and clutch mechanisms between said rollers and each ot the two shafts, one of the shafts having a constant speed such as to drive the rollers connected therewith at a peripheral velocit;7 equal to the speed of sheet forniation. and the other ofisaid shafts having a constant speed such 'as to drive the rollers connected therewith at a less speed.

5. lhe combination With an intermittent sheet. forming' machine` and with a lehr to receive the sheet formed. of at least five groups ot rollers arranged along the length ot the lehr, means Vfor driving the rollersl of the irsl group at a variable speed. means `for enraoin;r and disengaging rollers of the second group `with and trom the drive of the first group, means for drivingr the rollers ofthe iil'ih group at a substantially constant speed, and means for engaging and disen granting the rollin-sy of the vfourth group with and from the. drive oi the rollers ot'v the lifth group` the rollers' ot the third group being;l idlers.

The combination with an interi'nittent sheetforniing machine`v and with a lehr to receive the xsheet as formed. of at least live groups of rollers arranged along the length of the lehr. means tor driving' the rollers of the tiret `group at substantially thc speed ot sheet. formation. n'ieans for engaging and disengaging rollers of the secon-d lthe drivev of the rollers of the fifth group,

the rollers of the thirdgroup being idlers.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflx my signature.

LOUIS BOUDIN. 

